The String Cheese Incident Work in Covers, Guests in Mexico

The String Cheese Incident continued their International Incident at the Hard Rock in Riviera Maya, Mexico last night. Their headlining show that featured sit-ins from country music star Dierks Bentley as well as Trey Anastasio Band members Jen Hartswick and Natalie Cressman.

Kicking things off with Steve Miller Band’s “The Joker,” SCI moved through original cuts “Lester Had a Coconut,” “Let’s Go Outside” and Weather Report’s “Birdland” before country star Dierks Bentley, who was in Mexico for the Boots on the Sand event this week, joined the band for the traditional tune, “Rollin’ In My Sweet Baby’s Arms.” Bentley added vocals and guitar to the song often credited to Lester Flatt and Charlie Monroe, who composed the arrangement of the tune in the 1950s. The pairing of “Windy Mountain” and “Desert Dawn” closed the first set.

Later on, Jennifer Hartswick and Natalie Cressman took the stage to begin the second set, as the horns duo contributed to The Jacksons’ “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)” (The TAB horn members recently played the cover on the Incidental Animals tour with members of ALO and SCI’s Kyle Hollingsworth.) The second set also featured popular cuts “Rosie” (which included fire dancers), “Sirens” as well as a cover of “Ring of Fire.”

SCI would deliver not one, but two encore segments on this night, with the first encore featuring “BollyMunster.” The band came back to the stage to the delight of the crowd to debut a cover of “Brown-Eyed Girl” before closing the proceedings with “Texas.”

The day’s events also included sets from Van Ghost as well as other amenities such as a Percussion Workshop, Snorkel Tour and Bartender Cocktail Competition.